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One dog too many

One dog too many

TAKING ACTION — Meridith and Tracy Moon have listed their north Asheboro home for sale because they will be in violation of the city’s animal control ordinance when their new puppy, Truffles, turns 6 months old. They say they plan to keep all three of their dogs, but they don’t intend to break the law. (PJ Ward-Brown/The Courier-Tribune)

One dog too many

ORIGINAL ‘CHILDREN’ — The Moons already had a pair of English bull terriers named Drake and Cora when they purchased a puppy recently. They later learned that two dogs are the most they can have in the city on a lot the size of theirs. (Contributed photo)

ASHEBORO — A little sign on a shelf in Meridith and Tracy Moon’s home announces: “All my children have paws.”

The Moons say they will not give up any of their children.

They have put their house in north Asheboro up for sale and intend to move as soon as possible.

That’s because the couple will soon run afoul of the city’s animal control ordinance, which stipulates that, based on the size of their property, they can only have two dogs.

Until a few weeks ago, they did have just two dogs — a pair of English bull terriers named Drake and Cora.

Then they added a Chinese shar-pei puppy to the family.

They did not know that buying that wrinkly-faced, chocolate-colored puppy — they call her Truffles — set the clock ticking toward a time when they will be in violation of the city animal control ordinance. (The ordinance does not apply to dogs younger than 6 months old.)

It’s likely they still would not know, but someone reported them.

What happened next

Meridith Moon cried when she received a letter from the city about her dogs. She says she and her husband are not rule-breakers. But they did not know about this rule.

They think it is arbitrary and unfair and they plan to try to convince city leaders to change it. She has been circulating petitions seeking support and plans to address Asheboro City Council members at their May 8 meeting.

“These dogs aren’t on a runner,” she said. “They aren’t tied to a tree. We walk our dogs every night. They’re in a warm home every night. My puppy sleeps with me.”

Drake and Cora sleep in crates by night. By day, they play in a large fenced backyard.

“I respect a leash law,” Moon continued. “What I don’t respect is feeling like I’m being violated and being told how many animals I can or cannot have. I would ask that the city be open-minded and hear me out and be willing to even revise or repeal the current ordinance. Have it revised to what it was in 2011.

“What was wrong with that ordinance? Unless people are not taking care of their animals, I just don’t see what the huge issue is here.”

Revised in 2012

In 2012, the City of Asheboro revised its animal control ordinance, which was written in 1958. The revision was made in preparation for the county to assume responsibility for animal control in the city limits.

The ordinance in effect until April 1, 2012, allowed residents to keep up to five dogs. There was no limit on the number of cats.

The revised ordinance limits to two the number of dogs allowed on lots of 30,000 square feet or less, which is about seven-tenths of an acre. Residents who have larger lots can have up to five dogs, but an additional 7,000 square feet of space is required for each additional dog. The same rules apply for cats.

Pets owned prior to the rule changes are grandfathered.

The ordinance reads, in part: “… any dog lawfully kept or maintained as part of a household prior to April 1, 2012, may continue to be kept or maintained as part of the same household for the remainder of the dog’s life.”

The same exception applies in the case of cats.

Researching the situation

Tracy Moon said he’s done a fair amount of online research and called a few municipalities to find out about their animal control ordinances.

“I had no idea these laws even existed,” he said.

He also questions enforcement.

“There’s no way to enforce it unless you have a rogue neighbor that wants to take you on,” he said.

In his limited research, Moon said, he only found two North Carolina municipalities — Rural Hall and Garner — that set a limit as low as two on dogs.

In Garner, according to the town’s web page, residents who live on lots of 20,000 square feet or less may only have two dogs, with this exception: “Those with more than the limit may do so only if their dogs have passed ‘Good Canine Citizen’ training and certification.”

Most towns and cities permit three or more, he said, and some offer options for residents to keep more.

“We’re not getting rid of our dogs,” he said. “If they don’t change it, give us an option to get a permit. If we had to pay a yearly fee, we’re fully capable of doing that. Just give us some other option besides selling our house and leaving Asheboro.”

An urban answer

Ed Brown, the city’s code enforcement officer, said he has a second case in which a city resident is in violation of the number limit on dogs.

“The other owner is in the process of coming into compliance,” Brown said. “He has four dogs. Three of them precede the ordinance.”

He also said it is not unusual for a resident to be unaware of a particular ordinance.

“There’s a lot of people that don’t know they have to keep the grass cut or that they can’t keep junk trash in their yard.”

He noted that all city ordinances are not going to suit everyone: What one resident deems “offensive,” he explained, may not be perceived as the least bit offensive by another resident.

But the 2012 ordinance provides definitive answers to questions that were not clearly addressed — or not addressed at all — in the previous rules, he said.

The revision reflects the fact that city dwellers generally live closer together than their rural counterparts. Generally speaking, he said, the more animals there are, the greater the likelihood of problems.

Brown added that he understands that one pet owner might have five well-maintained dogs that are not a nuisance to their neighbors — the neighbors might not even know the pets exist — while another resident might have a single barking dog tied outside that presents an ongoing nuisance.

What comes next

Moon said she recently spent $100 to have Drake sedated to have his nails trimmed. She said her father thinks she’s lost her mind for spending money on such a thing.

She understands that some people may view the way she and her husband relate to their animals as “stupid and sappy.”

But she is resolute in her stance.

“We have no children,” she said. “These are our children.”

She hopes city council members will revisit the animal control ordinance and make revisions so that she and Tracy — and other responsible pet owners in similar situations — can keep more than two dogs or cats.

“If they’re going to say, ‘No, ma’am, this is the way it’s going to be — you’re going to have to downsize your pets or move out in the county,’ they’re going to lose a taxpayer.

“We’re willing to make that big of a sacrifice and change our life. We’re not going to lie about it. We’re just going to cut our losses and be honest.”